Politi has played the course for the past seven years, typically showing up Fridays with about 15 other guys to play a round. Despite the rain, he thought the course looked good. "I'm going to call the guys and see if they want to play today," he said. "I played Short Beach in Stratford last week, and the conditions were good there, too."

McMahon said the groundskeeper, John Johnson, had inspected the course at daybreak. "If there's no significant standing water on the greens or in the cups, I'm free to open it," McMahon said.

"This is the earliest we've opened up in probably three or four years," he added. "We usually open mid-March or April 1. The decision to open was made by the Golf Commission, golf pro Jim Alexander and the head of the Parks and Rec, Gerry Lombardo."

Politi said the par-3 course is a great one for beginners, and not as long a walk as other courses in town. McMahon said that pros from other courses often send beginners to the par-3 links once they have some driving range experience and a few lessons.

The course was a salt marsh before being converted in 1969. A Nike missile site was installed nearby after World War II.